Knitted fabric testing device



May 17, 1938. J. K. COBERT- I KNITTED FABRIC TESTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 27, 1936 \NVENTOR JOSEWRT BY fll; u

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for testing fabrics and more particularly for determining the number of yarn courses in a unit measurement of fabric which is indicative of the actual yarn content of a piece of fabric.

The object of the invention is to provide a simply operated and convenient device for the accurate determination of the number of courses or wales in a unit measurement of a fabric, whether the latter is in the piece or a finished article. Such a device has many fields of use, as for example, in the manufacturing plant in matching fabrics and in detecting irregularities due to Wear of machines, etc., and in the selling trade in comparing piece goods as well as those made up into articles.

The invention contemplates a device in which the fabric to be tested is always stretched, before counting the yarn courses or wales, to a definite point, that is to the point where the fabric has substantially no further stretch therein, and this point is reached when the yarn loops of the fabric are in their fully extendedposition. The device thus includes a track with a support therefor, a carriage, carrying means for gripping a fabric, mounted on the track, means carrying a predetermined weight for resisting movement of the carriage, a second carriage movably mounted on the track and having fabric gripping means thereon and means for moving the second carriage to separate the pair of gripping means to stretch the fabric and adapted to move both carriages together on the track against resistance of the weighted means. Any convenient measuring instrument may be used in counting the courses or Wales in the stretched fabric.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure l is a plan view of the device,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, and

Figure 3 is a partial plan view showing a fabric in place.

In the drawing, l is a fabric gripping or anchorage means carried by a rectangular plate 2 slidably mounted in a groove 3 in the under surface of a frame member 4, and 5 is a complementary fabric gripping means carried by a second rectangular plate 6 slidably mounted in a groove 1 in the upper surface of frame 4.

Sliding motion of plate 2 is limited by means of a pin 8 therein which engages a slot 9 in frame 4 and adjustable means are provided for normally holding plate 2 with the anchorage means I in its left hand limit position and for resisting movement thereof to the right, said means comprising a weight arm I0, carrying an adjustable weight ll, fixed to a shaft 12 rotatably mounted in side members l3 fixed to frame 4. The force of weight 6 I is transmitted to the right hand end of plate 2 by means of a pin l4- car- 5 ried by shaft l2 and which bears against a strip [5 carried by rods 16 secured to a cross member I! on which plate 2 is fixed.

Sliding motion of plate 6 is effected by means of a screw shaft l8 which engages a lug i9 fixed to the under surface of plate 6 and which may be rotated by a crank 20, the other end of shaft I8 being supported by a strip 2! fixed to frame 4.

Fabric gripping means I comprises a pair of grippers 22 and 23, gripper 22 being carried by ascrew threaded pin 24 in a U-shaped frame 25 mounted for swinging movement in the ends of cross member H, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, for ready insertion of a fabric between the grippers. The ends of gripper 22 are supported by pins 26 mounted for resilient movement by means of springs 2'! in the frame 25. Gripper 23 is carried on the slightly upturned end of plate 2 and it will be observed that rotation of pin 24 will move gripper 22 towards gripper 23 when the same are in corresponding relation to effect gripping engagement of a fabric therebetween. Means 28, comprising a stop pin 4| carried by a projecting arm 42 mounted on frame 25, is provided for properly positioning gripper 22 in corresponding relation to gripper 23. It will be noted that, as gripper 22 is swung downwardly from the dotted line position in Figure 2, the stop 4! will engage the top of gripper 23 and prevent further downward movement.

Fabric gripping means 5 comprises a pair of grippers 29 and 30, gripper 29 being carried by a bar 3| mounted for swinging movement in a. sliding member 32, as shown in Figure 2, also for ready insertion of the fabric between the grippers. Gripper 30 is carried on the upturned end of plate 6. Gripper 29 normally rests on the upper surface of plate 6 in cooperating relation with gripper 39. A screw shaft 33 is provided for imparting sliding movement to the member 32 to move gripper 29 into fabric gripping relation with gripper 3|].

The gripping surface of each gripper may be corrugated as shown and at least one of each pair may be provided with a rubber facing for effect- 5 ing a more secure gripping action.

Frame member 4. may be carried by a post 34 rotatably mounted in a support 35 for convenient positioning of the device. A stop 36 for the weight arm l0 may be provided should it be 55 iii desired to swing the weight arm back out of engaging connection with plate 2.

In operation, one end of a portion of fabric as represented at 40 in Figure 3 to be tested is secured in the gripping means I and the other end in gripping means 5. The portion of fabric is then stretched by moving the plate 6 with gripping means away from gripping means I by rotation of the screw shaft I8. It will be observed that when the fabric is in fully stretched condition, i. e., when each yarn loop is in fully extended condition, there will be a substantially inextensible connection between gripping means I and 5 and further movement of gripping means 5 must result either in movement of gripping means I or breakage of threads in the fabric connection. The weight II is such that, when positioned on the Weight arm I ll at a predetermined point, its weight will be overcome by the increased pull on the gripping means I when the fabric is in fully stretched condition, the plate 2 .with strip I5 moving to the right to rotate shaft I2 by means of pin Hi to swing weight arm I0 upwardly.

Weight arm I0 is provided with graduations corresponding with the strength of various fabrics, namely, two-thread fabrics, three-thread fabrics, and so on.

Swinging of the weight arm I0 upwardly immediately indicates that the fabric is in fully extended condition and in this condition counting of yarn courses, represented by the lines 39 in Figure 3, therein may be readily carried out with or without the use of a microscope. A measuring device consisting of a plate 31 having an opening 38 therein of, say, one inch in length, may be provided, it being necessary to count only the number of courses appearing through the opening to obtain the necessary comparative figure representing the yarn content of the portion of fabric tested.

I claim:

1. A device for testing knitted fabrics comprising a frame, two plates slidably mounted in the frame in superposed relation, one of 'said plates having an end projecting beyond the adjacent end of the other plate, fabric gripping means carried by said plates on said projecting end and said adjacent end respectively, means for moving one of said plates and a lever pivoted in the frame adjacent an end of the other of said plates and having one arm operatively engaging said other plate end and another arm carrying a fixed weight of predetermined value acting on said lever.

2. A device for testing knitted fabrics comprising a frame, two plates slidably mounted in superposed relation in the frame and each carrying fabric gripping means, said gripping means being spaced from each other, means for moving one of said plates, a lever pivoted in the frame adjacent an end of the other of said plates and having one arm operatively engaging said other plate end and another arm carrying a fixed weight of predetermined value acting on said lever.

3. A device for testing knitted fabrics comprising a frame, two superposed plates slidably mounted in the frame each carrying fabric gripping means, said gripping means being spaced from each other, means for moving one of said plates, and weighted means operatively engaging the other of said plates and adapted to prevent movement thereof except in response to forces above a predetermined value.

4. A device for testing knitted fabrics comprising a frame, two plates slidably mounted in the frame each carrying fabric gripping means, said gripping means being spaced from each other, means for moving one of said plates, means adapted to prevent movement of the other plate except in response to forces above a predetermined value comprising a lever pivoted in the frame and having one arm operatively engaging said other plate and another arm carrying a weight providing a force of predetermined value acting on said lever, and means for adjusting the position of the weight on said last mentioned arm to vary the value of the force acting on said lever.

JOSEPH K. COBERT. 

